Ex-N.H. sheriff candidate Frank Szabo emigrates to South America

Frank Szabo, the one-time candidate for Hillsborough County sheriff who sparked controversy when he declined to rule out using deadly force to stop abortions, has left the country.

Szabo, an aspiring organic farmer who moved to Goffstown from Pennsylvania in 2011 as part of the Free State Project, ran as a Republican for county sheriff, losing in the Sept. 11 primary to incumbent Sheriff Jim Hardy. Hardy won a sixth term last week.

In an interview with the Monitor ahead of the primary, Szabo pledged to protect citizens against rogue federal bureaucrats if elected, arresting government agents if he thought it necessary to protect property and personal rights. In an earlier interview with WMUR, he had said he might use deadly force to stop abortions but later retracted that statement, saying that he would simply arrest abortion providers.

On Sunday night, Szabo announced on Facebook that he had left the United States. He didn’t name his destination, though other recent posts indicate he’s in the South American nation of Chile.

“As some of you may know, my family and I have left the country,” Szabo wrote on his campaign’s page. “This was a decision which was a possibility many months ago. If it were not for the campaign, we would have left much earlier. After having lost The Primary, it became a certainty. In my opinion, there was nothing else I could do which could make a real difference.”